Daddy’s little girl

Before we knew we were having a daughter, our house was all boy — since having our sweet baby girl, our family not only became complete, but she brought a gentleness with her that has changed the way both my husband and I parent.

My husband began having weekly lunches with one of our pastors a couple of months back. Our pastor is very dear to my family — he spoke at my brother’s funeral, he married my husband and I, and he has baptized our children. He and Marshall began reading a small little book by John Eldredge. Marshall and I have both read Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, a book about manhood that we both recommend very highly, and I have read Captivating, a book for women, which was written by John and his wife Stasi.

And our pastor introduced a new book by Eldredge: You Have What It Takes.  They began reading it during their lunches together, this small book helps fathers become the Hero in their children’s lives.  It is accessible, at all of $2.49 and 60ish small pages.

This book is perfect for the man in your life who desires to follow God’s teaching for the true meaning of fatherhood.  My husband is not a “How-To” book reader — he did not read any birth or parenting books that I ever put in front of him, even though I read at least 10 of each — but he read  You Have What it Takes.  It is what he needed to read — a tiny book that he could spend very little time on, but connect with on a spiritual level.

It is a call to men, to fathers, telling them, “Only you, Dad, can help your children find the answer to these questions”:

Boys need to know: Do I have what it takes?

Girls need to know: Am I lovely?

And isn’t that the truth? I can only speak as a girl, now a woman. One thing I remember, despite not having the most ideal childhood, coming from a divorced home, is that my dad, every time he saw me, told me I was beautiful. He would hug me — even, and especially, if I didn’t want him to — and whisper “You’re so beautiful.”

That meant something. Everything to me. Children deserve fathers who will give them their heart’s desire.  Little girls need a daddy to tell them they are lovely — especially during and after puberty.  And I needed that.  They need to know that they are of immeasurable worth.  That they don’t need to wear makeup, wear immodest clothing, watch inappropriate movies and videos, seek boys’ undeserving attention, the list goes on.  I believe a father can have a drastic impact on a girl’s self-worth and long-term commitment to saving herself for God and for her marriage.

I have never doubted that my husband would father a boy with knowledge and integrity and strength.  I did not know how it would be with a girl.  But now that I see the two of them together, my heart melts.

I am so thankful that she has a daddy who tells her she is beautiful and lovely every single day of her life.

Thank you for visiting Wildflower Ramblings, if you’d like to receive post updates, please Like my Facebook Page.  Or follow my blog with Bloglovin.